Common sense prevails over politics as usual

LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton, issued the following statement on the decisive rejection of Proposal 1:

“On May 5, Proposal 1 was defeated in what can best be described as a historic victory in favor of common sense over politics as usual – with 80 percent of Michiganders rejecting the proposal.

“The results from last night defied the traditional role money plays in politics; when it came to Proposal 1, money couldn’t win the hearts or minds of voters. In fact, the Safe Roads Yes coalition outspent the ‘No’ campaigns by a 40-to-1 ratio.

“The result also defied the traditional partisan divide we see in politics. This was not a Republican versus Democrat issue. It was not a conservative versus liberal issue. The entire spectrum of political ideology came together and emphatically said ‘back to the drawing board.’

“The good news is that we don’t need to start from scratch. I’ve been collecting the best ideas from my colleagues in the House and Senate. It’s clear that we can fix the roads without increasing taxes and without decreasing funding to schools, police and fire.

“With yesterday’s decisive vote, the voters have helped to pry open the lid to the box holding back these good ideas. I look forward to the opportunity to work with even more of my colleagues to bring these ideas to fruition on behalf of our citizens.

“As we begin to look at new, better ideas to fix our crumbling roads, we need to reject the post-mortem spin calling for a different kind of tax. We need to reject the scare tactics about cuts to schools, police and fire. There is no appetite for that policy in the Legislature.

“We need to focus instead on the effective use of existing resources, because we have a duty and an obligation to respect the voters’ priorities over Lansing’s. In short, it is time to move beyond politics as usual. We need to restore voter trust in our elected officials. We need to restore their trust that we are representing their best interests not our own.

“It is time to roll up our collective sleeves and give the voters a road plan of which they can be proud.”